A Less than Stellar Review for the "#1 Global Policy & Admin Program"

Re: Open Letter to SIPA Administration, Columbia University

Dear Dean Janow and SIPA Administration:

Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, or SIPA, is hailed as a distinguished program - marketing itself as fostering future world leaders, creating equitable change, and addressing critical public policy challenges. As SIPA students, we are taught the importance of accessible, high-quality education. We are taught to change the foundational, systemic institutions that remain on their unreachable thrones, accessible only to the elite. We are taught to fight the hard-won battles with well-endowed institutions for what is just and fair. It is ironic that now, I have to fight the very institution that encourages these ideas. 

As a current SIPA student, I was less than thrilled to find out that tuition,  unbeknownst to me and many other students, had been raised by four percent amidst a pandemic - amidst layoffs, pay cuts, unprecedented economic pause, deaths, uncertainty, and a recession. I wish I didn’t have to expend the little energy and time I have to advocate for myself and my cohort, but here I am - being forced to fight for something that should be foundational to a “world-renowned” policy school. Without even an open dialogue, raising tuition during a global crisis is not only inappropriate and tone-deaf but also reinforces the idea that only those with the financial means can afford an educational opportunity. Given the importance of policy in decision making, as future world leaders, this tuition hike is just another barrier for those who cannot take on this financial burden - further propping up the “global elite.” The irony is astounding. 

Given the abrupt switch to online classes, which have substantially decreased the level of learning and engagement, networking opportunities, and overall quality of education, partial tuition reimbursements are only fair. The proposed $30 concession out of the now more than $120,000 would have been comical if it weren’t a stark reality. As a result of living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, the financial burden of daily life is almost impossible for so many of us to bear. Not only is the proposal an insult, but it is absolutely ridiculous; institutions like Columbia, whose endowment is nearly $11 billion, are more equipped to deal with sudden crises than individuals. Now, in these critical times, Columbia is put to the test. Will it uphold its values and show up for its students when it really matters the most? 

I am sad to say I have been disappointed, disempowered, and drained with the way the SIPA administration has responded to the pandemic. Time and time again, it fails to address students’ needs, failing to uphold the supposed values of this institution. If such an institution does not practice what it preaches, then what is the value of our education? If not you, Dean Janow, then who? If you won’t advocate for us, then who will? 

Best,

You get what you pay for, but I am not getting what I paid for.

Angeline Lee

Angeline is a first-year MPA, HRHP student who is either taking a nap, snacking, or frantically searching for a summer internship.